There is no denying that for a small child the home can be a very dangerous place. There is also no denying that as parents we have to teach our children about these dangers as well as protecting them from themselves with the appropriate precautions.

There are the dangers we perhaps negotiate without too much effort like not going near the fire and being careful on the stairs – assisted by guards and gates these are easily achieved. The biggest area to teach children about has got to be the kitchen. There are so many things to worry about as a parent – the cooker, the hob, the knife drawer not to mention cleaning products and breakables. There are of course many child-proofing products on the market which are excellent, but the time does come when a slightly older child needs to be allowed a bit more trust.

My sister had an excellent idea for her little ones: one of her kitchen units is given over to plastic items such as bowls and jugs, wooden spoons and old pans. None of these things are ever used to cook with but are merely there for the children to play with. She found, after the 3^rd or perhaps 4^th time, that endlessly saying ‘don’t go in the kitchen cupboards’ was really ineffectual and so having a cupboard they were allowed in solved the argument. A great idea I think!

Including your children in every day food preparation tasks is a great way to introduce them to the environment as well, whilst under supervision of course. Help them to make sandwiches and then go on a picnic – I bet they eat them! Make buns for Grandma and decorate them with whatever they fancy, the sense of pride in their achievements will be a great boost. The kitchen is very often the heart of a family home so welcome your children as well as protecting them.

These days we want more from our homes and many people are extending and remodelling rather than moving altogether. It can be the perfect solution to creating a home more suited to your family life without the upheaval and heartache that moving can sometimes bring. If this is you, think on…

Have you considered whether you are using your existing rooms for the right purposes? Could you swap them round, and if you did so then how would it add to your lifestyle? Kitchens are very often the heart of any home and they need to be versatile depending on what is going on – are the kids doing homework while you prepare a meal, or have you got friends round for a meal who are socialising in a casual space. What works best?

If you switched your living room and dining room round, would that mean easier access to the kitchen or perhaps allow you to plan for a dining experience in the garden when the weather is right. Walk round your home and try to imagine using the space in different ways, you may even get carried away and started looking at removing internal walls to create an open plan environment.

Upstairs you might decide to move the master bedroom to a different place to take advantage of the extra space an extension might bring, to make space for an en suite bathroom or even just to change the view from the windows. And how about the bathrooms, depending on plumbing considerations, are they in the right place – too big or too small, do you have everything you want or have you always coveted a rainforest shower or a bath big enough for two?! Set your imagination free and see if you can bring to life the dream home you always wanted.

Open plan design is becoming more and more popular.

Just take a look in any interior design magazine and you will see countless images of open plan living areas, so why not join in the style revolution?

Kitchens with open plan design add class and enable it to be used for more than just cooking.

If you are considering making your kitchen and living area open plan, there are a few essentials that you will have to get right.

Despite the foundation of the open plan concept being that there appears to be no barriers between sections of the living space, there actually does have to be some form of zoning to make the area functional.

This does not mean there have to be dividing walls but you can use features to separate the room which will allow you to enjoy the open plan design whilst keeping some order to the space.

A kitchen breakfast bar is one such feature that can act as a barrier.

The breakfast bar is fast become a must have for any modern kitchen, as it acts as a focal point for family and friends to eat and relax, whilst breaking up the space between the busy kitchen and the peaceful living area.

The features that break up an open plan room don’t necessarily have to be pieces of furniture though.

A change in the flooring can also act as a zoning device so why not change from a hard wearing tile floor for the kitchen to a soft carpet for the living area?

Another possibility is to change the colours of the walls, so that as you stroll through the room there is less confusion to where the kitchen area finishes and where the living room begins.

Using different lighting for separate zones is the most subtle way to create a barrier, with bright lighting in the kitchen for cooking to soft mood lighting for other areas of the room.

All these features will help create the perfect open plan room that will make your kitchen look like it’s straight out of a home design magazine!

Kitchens these days have everything you need to store kitchen appliances, dishes, and cutlery. A kitchen plate rack is not really necessary in modern kitchens, but is sure does help spruce things up. Besides, if you own nice plates, why not put them where they can be appreciated by your guests? There are all kinds of racks available, including table-top plate holders, hanging racks, and china display glass cabinets. Just look through any home kitchen catalog and you will see hundreds of different designs. Which ones would suit the kitchen the best, though? Is there a way to find out? There are some designs that match certain home styles, and some that do not.

You can find plate racks in many different materials including wood, stainless steel, cast iron, ceramic, and plastic. You should match the material to the style of the kitchen. For example, if you have an ultra modern kitchen, stainless steel plate racks would fit right in with the clean cuts of the typical modern kitchen. For old fashioned kitchens, a charming caste iron or wooden kitchen plate rack would suit better. Sometimes a nice contrasting material will give your kitchen a unique look. Each situation will be different, so take your time to choose a material.

After you have decided on the material, you should take a look at your kitchen and see what kind of rack placement would fit best and compliment the overall kitchen decor. If you have an open kitchen with a serving counter that divides the kitchen from the dining room, it is the perfect opportunity to use it to display your plates. If you do not have much counter space, you could use a kitchen wall rack instead. If there are glass cupboards in your kitchen, you could buy kitchen cabinet plate racks put them inside. That way you will have protection from dust and display the plates in one shot.